This paper aims to highlight renewable energy’s role in improving water governance, tackling climate change, and facilitating sustainable agricultural development for food production in the MENA region. A case study of the activities of KarmSolar, a Cairo-based Solar Technology Provider, demonstrates the relevance of solar energy system integration into these important spheres.
In off-grid desert locations, water extraction is the primary stage of the agricultural process. KarmSolar’s development and operation of High-Capacity Off-Grid Battery-Free Solar Water Pumping (“SWP”) systems places them as an important actor in 1) the cost of the supply of water (which is directly affected by energy costs incurred by running pumping systems), 2) groundwater withdrawal rates, and 3) the administration of aquifer and climate data (through the use of the Solar Management Interface – “SMI”).
To comprehensively tackle the water-energy-food nexus and climate change debate, the off-grid agricultural sector’s water management regime, which begins with the extraction of water from underground aquifer systems, must be addressed. KarmSolar’s development and operation of the SWP system must be given prominence within the discourse due to the direct social and economic effect it has on participants and stakeholders within the agricultural sector, but also the environment and the natural resources on which we all rely. This paper’s contents are as follows:
1) KarmSolar Introduction
2) The SWP System & SMI Product Descriptions
3) The SWP system & SMI’s Advantages within the Agricultural Sector
4) Key Factors catalyzing the shift to Solar Energy
5) SWP Pilot Project: Financial and Socio-Economic Benefits
6) Conclusion
Egypt,